Chef Zohra
Atay b Chiba (Moroccan Wormwood Tea)
The cold-evening cousin of mint tea: gunpowder green tea brewed with chiba, the bitter winter herb Moroccans use when na'na is scarce and the house needs warming.
Culinary Explorer
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Jus de Grenade (عصير الرمان)
Created by
The autumn cart in a glass: ruby pomegranate seeds crushed fresh, strained bright and tart, then served cold before the color has time to dull.
Beverages
Moroccan
Quick Meal
Budget Friendly
15 min
Active Time
0 min cook•15 min total
Yield4 small glasses
When the pomegranates arrive in autumn, hard-skinned and heavy in the hand, don't walk past them. This juice belongs to that season, when the seeds are ruby, tart, and generous, and the market seller can press one glass while you stand there watching the color run crimson.
The whole thing depends on freshness. Break open the fruit, loosen the seeds gently, then crush or blend only long enough to release the juice. If you grind the pale inner pith too hard, bitterness follows. That is the one rule here: take the juice from the seeds, not punishment from the peel.
Serve it cold, in small glasses, with barely enough water to loosen it if the fruit is very sharp. Sugar is not a command. Taste first. La balance est dans les yeux (the scale is in the eyes), and here it is also on the tongue. Make one glass more than you planned, because a table is a door you leave open.
Pomegranates have grown around Morocco since antiquity, moving through Mediterranean and trans-Saharan trade routes and settling especially well in oasis and mountain regions such as the Souss, Marrakech, and eastern Morocco. Fresh-pressed pomegranate juice as a market drink is a modern street habit built on an old fruit, most visible in autumn when carts and juice stands press it by the glass. Its exact Moroccan starting point is not well dated, and that uncertainty is honest: the fruit is ancient, the cart is newer.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
ripe pomegranates
Quantity
4 large
heavy for their size
cold water (optional)
Quantity
120ml
only if needed to loosen the juice
sugar (optional)
Quantity
1 to 2 tsp
only if the fruit is very tart
ice cubes (optional)
Quantity
as needed
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| ripe pomegranatesheavy for their size | 4 large |
| cold water (optional)only if needed to loosen the juice | 120ml |
| sugar (optional)only if the fruit is very tart | 1 to 2 tsp |
| ice cubes (optional)for serving | as needed |
Equipment Needed
- •Fine mesh sieve
- •Wide mixing bowl
- •Blender or hand press
Instructions
- 1
Open the fruit
Cut a shallow circle around the crown of each pomegranate and lift it away, then score the skin from top to bottom along the natural ridges. Pull the fruit apart with your hands over a wide bowl. Work gently, because broken pith brings bitterness where you want brightness.
- 2
Loosen the seeds
Turn each section over the bowl and ease out the seeds with your thumbs. Pick away any pale membrane. The seeds should look glossy and full, not dry. If they taste flat or woody, don't force this drink today; the market has given you another answer.
- 3
Crush for juice
Pulse the seeds in a blender for 5 to 8 seconds, just until they burst and release their crimson juice. Stop before the hard inner bits are ground fine. This is why the drink stays clean and tart instead of harsh.
For a hand method, press the seeds through a sturdy sieve with the back of a spoon. It takes longer, but the flavor stays very pure. - 4
Strain it clear
Pour the crushed seeds through a fine sieve set over a jug, pressing gently to draw out the juice. Don't scrape the sieve too aggressively at the end. The last thick paste is where bitterness hides.
- 5
Taste and serve
Taste the juice before adding anything. If it is too sharp, stir in a little cold water and only then a small spoon of sugar if needed. Serve at once in small glasses, with ice if the day asks for it. The color should be bright crimson and the taste tart enough to wake the mouth.
Chef Tips
- •Buy pomegranates in their true season, from early autumn into winter. They should feel heavy for their size, with firm skin and no tired, soft patches.
- •Don't blend too long. The seeds need to burst, not be punished. Too much grinding pulls bitterness from the pale membrane and hard seed centers.
- •Sugar is a correction, not the recipe. Good fruit may need none at all, and that's when this juice tastes most like the autumn market.
Advance Preparation
- •Seed the pomegranates up to 1 day ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator.
- •Press the juice just before serving if you can. It keeps for 1 day chilled, but the brightest taste is in the first glass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 150g)
Calories
75 calories
Total Fat
0 g
Saturated Fat
0 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
10 mg
Total Carbohydrates
18 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
17 g
Protein
0 g
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